Country music star Jason Aldean is under fire for the lyrics of his recently released track “Try That In A Small Town.” The lyrics allude to a pro-Trumpian conservatism that many listeners are alleging paves the way for coded racist language. The track and accompanying music video are making waves across social media, with largely negative reactions.
The track opens with Aldean naming off a list of crimes that would seemingly not fly in his small town homeland. He goes on to provoke racially divisive imagery when he vaguely references the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Aldean sings, “Cuss out a cop, spit in his face/Stomp on the flag and light it up/Yeah, ya think you’re tough/Well, try that in a small town/See how far ya make it down the road/‘Round here, we take care of our own.”
Later in the song, the singer references an execution by firing squad, and insinuates that the small town in question is a sundown town. Sundown towns were particularly prominent during the Jim Crow era in the southern United States, and several still allegedly exist today in the deepest rural areas of the country. The term refers to a predominantly white town that segregates Black travelers or residents by force, often leading to violent deaths of Black civilians.
Outside of his music career, the singer owns Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar on Nashville’s popular Broadway strip. The restaurant has long been rumored among locals and tourists alike to treat customers of color poorly, further ramping up allegations of racism against the country singer.
Internet Reactions
The song attracted attention far beyond the country music community when its accompanying music video was released. The video shows several violent interactions between police officers and civilians, leading many viewers to accuse Aldean of right-wing propaganda.
Elsewhere, country music fans are calling out the singer’s conservative virtue signaling. Aldean grew up in Macon, Georgia, which is not the small town he sings about, but instead a well established city. Given his personal background, some listeners feel that the song and video pander to an alt-right audience instead of showcasing any real authenticity as an artist.
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Ignoring all of the obvious, he’s from Macon, GA. Population over 150,000. What “small town” is that?
— Dane Rauschenberg (@SeeDaneRun) July 17, 2023
Jason Aldean is a poser, a cliche and a perfect example of country ‘artist’ who will ceaselessly pander to his audience for the adoration and money. He has no real point of view..just a hick yahoo hanging on to fame at the cost of his soul ..and happy to do it …pitiful
— Mary Gellott ☮️???????? (@mmgglltt) July 17, 2023
Additionally, some Twitter users are reminding listeners that Aldean was performing at Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas in 2017 when a mass shooting broke out. Stephen Paddock killed 60 people and wounded a whopping 413. Listeners feel that given the singer’s first hand experience with gun violence, he should not have continuously romanticized gun ownership in his latest track.
.@Jason_Aldean – who was on-stage during the mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert in 2017 that killed 60 people and wounded over 400 more – has recorded a song called “Try That In A Small Town” about how he and his friends will shoot you if you try to take their guns. pic.twitter.com/hWGdEgS33v
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2023
Aldean recently ran offstage mid-show in Connecticut. The singer addressed the incident on Twitter today, vowing to reschedule the show.
Thanks everyone for checking in on me. Hartford, we’ll share rescheduled info soon. Saratoga Springs, see ya tonite!???????? pic.twitter.com/wVWGAmDmSZ
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) July 16, 2023
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Amid the concert cancellation, the singer is yet to address the ongoing mass criticism of “Try That In A Small Town.”
